Mohamed (Arabic:محمد منير) (born October 10, 1954) is a Nubian-Egyptian singer who was born in Aswan, Egypt. His pop-oriented music has its roots in the various genres of traditional Egyptian and African music. His lyrics are often social and political, with which Mounir sees himself as a mouthpiece for the cultural and religious togetherness of the Orient and Occident. Mounir is considered the darling of Egyptian youth.

Mounir, has also gathered experiences in film: the film Destiny from Youssef Chahine, a prominent outsider in Egyptian cinema and at the same time its most internationally renowned representative, is a reckoning with the growing fundamentalism of his country. Mounir plays the singer Marwan from the 12th century, who escapes an attempted assassination by stirred up fanatics the first time, but succumbs the second time - a reference the Algerian Rai singer, but also Egyptian literary figures like Naguib Mahfouz or Farag Foda.

After the Sept 11 attacks, the singer was driven to learn more about Islam, which he feared was being seen in the West as the faith of terrorism and intolerance. So Mounir performed the hajj, the pilgrimage at the heart of Islam, for the first time last winter. He returned critical of both fellow Muslims, who he says don't bother to seek a true understanding of their faith, and of a West that he says misunderstands it.

Mounir released the album Earth . . . Peace, containing the song Give Me Strength, O Messenger of God, which he co-wrote with Kawthar Mustafa. In it, he sings, "The spilling of any blood is deemed sinful by God."

The album struck some as surprisingly religious for an artist seen as a champion of secularism. For others, it was not religious enough; the video for the song was banned by most Arab satellite channels.

The video ban reportedly was because Mounir sang "maddad", a vernacular term that roughly means "give me strength" but that can also be translated as a call on Islam's prophet to intercede with God on man's behalf. Most Muslims do believe in the intercession of the prophet Muhammad (May peace be upon him constantly)for it is proven in the quran in numerous places but it is deemed as not possible by the Wahabbis (the major stronghold in Saudi Arabia).

The 48-year-old artist took the controversy in his stride.

"It is this fight against rigid thought that makes something out of you," he says.

That philosophy sums up one of his best-known characters. In Destiny, a 1997 film by Youssef Chahine, a leading Egyptian director, Mounir played Marawan, a singer in the 12th century Islamic state built by Arab and Berber dynasties in Spain. "Marwan and I are one and the same," Mounir says, describing the character as an "ambitious artist who does not believe that anything should be deemed sinful in art."

Mounir, who sang on the soundtracks for nine Chahineproductions and acted in some, says he is proud to be Chahine's "voice in cinematography." Their collaboration in the movie An Egyptian Tale resulted in a popular song of the same title that ordinary Egyptians embraced as an anthem. The music was written by the late Ahmed Mounib, a Nubian folk musician who was Mounir's mentor. The lyrics, by Abdel Reheim Mansour, include:

Who is bowed down for the sake of your prosperity? Your poor peasants. Who is bowed down for the sake of your affluence? Your kind workers. Who is the one who sells conscience and buys instead destruction? Who is the one with the cause, the problem, the tale and the pen?

Mounir has also has appeared in seven films for other directors - almost all with patriotic themes - and has also appeared in TV series and plays. He began his career as a performer in the 1970s after arriving from the southern city of Aswan to study art at Cairo University.

From the beginning, he was something different. His music drew rhythms and folk melodies from the culture of Nubia, the region where Mediterranean and African Egypt meet, in contrast to much Egyptian pop music, which was dominated by traditional Egyptian sounds.

At first, Mounir's casual outfits and performance style drew scorn at a time when singers often wore suits and appeared with orchestras. He would sway, jump and dance in a way unfamiliar to Egyptian audiences. But they saw him as genuine, and he soon became a respected star, paving the way for other Nubian musicians.

Over the years, he became known for finding lyrics that reflected his politics and philosophy; his music has become synonymous for many Egyptians with liberal thought, hope and a desire for reform.

He sometimes works closely with lyricists and co-writes songs.

A pot of traditional Nubian incense burned during a recent interview in his Cairo apartment. The singer appeared relaxed in casual clothes - a creme baggy shirt, linen trousers and trademark bead necklace - but also displayed the reserve he is known for.

Mounir, who rarely gives interviews, would not discuss the fate of his home region, a sensitive issue in Egypt. Nubians were forced to leave the area when Egypt built the Aswan High Dam in 1971.

He would, however, speak on other issues.

A recent pro-Palestine wave saw almost every other Egyptian singer recording songs supporting the Palestinians; Mounir had been singing about them for years.

"I have a dream of a better human being, of better living standards," Mounir said, adding, "I hate corruption, I hate fear and I love dreams that are based on logic."